D.C. Cop Spreads Some Christmas Cheer

After living my entire life in the Washington, D.C. area it has become easy for me to become a little jaded when it comes to believing that public servants will actually show some kindness and understanding to someone in need.

Yet that is exactly what happened just a few nights ago to one of my co-workers.

While he was working late into the night, he decided to leave the office to go check our company mailbox outside to see if we had received any magazines that day. After he came up empty handed he headed back into our office building only to discover that they last remaining elevator that was functioning was no longer working.

Now he could have just called it a day, and since it was past 11 p.m. no one would have blamed him, but since he thought the trip to the mailbox would be a short one he left both his wallet and his coat in his office. So now he had no money, identification and more importantly no coat to shield himself against the 20 degree weather.

He did have his cell phone so he started calling a few of his co-workers starting with me, but I missed that call. After coming up empty handed he then called the fire department thinking that they would have some master key so he could use the stairwell which is normally locked. No luck there as it was not an emergency and the only master key the fire department was likely to have would have been an ax which probably wouldn’t have pleased the landlord if they had responded.

Not knowing what to do next he walked a block or so to the nearest Metrorail station where he spotted a police officer. He explained his predicament and the officer asked where he lived and after a few minutes pulled out a $20 and handed it to my employee. My employee was very grateful and asked for the officer’s phone number so he could call and pay him back the next day but he was waved off with the officer telling him to consider it a Christmas present.

Maybe my employee being foreign born cut a sympathetic figure, with his accent and the fact he had no winter coat on,but I am grateful for that kind police officer who late on a chilly night in the District reached out to help a fellow human being and spread some Christmas cheer in what can normally be a very callous city.

For as we read in Matthew chapter 25;

35 For I was an ahungred, and ye bgave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a cstranger, and ye took me in:

36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye avisited me: I was in bprison, and ye came unto me.

37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?